Pep Guardiola has revealed how his relationship with Mikel Arteta has changed over the years. The Manchester City boss appointed the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder as his assistant in February 2017 where they worked closely for nearly three-years.
The duo enjoyed great success with one another at the Etihad Stadium, winning two Premier League titles, two Community Shields and an FA Cup. But, in December 2019, Arteta left his position as Guardiola's deputy to become head coach at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite a turbulent start to life in north London, the Spaniard has finally begun to reap the fruits of his labour with the Gunners mounting a title charge this term. Arsenal are five-points clear of the reigning champions, though they have two-games in hand.
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Speaking on Saturday afternoon, Guardiola was asked how his relationship with Arteta has changed since they parted ways. The City boss replied: "It changed because he’s in London and I’m in Manchester, so we don’t see each other quite often.
"He’s busy, I’m busy, but the affection and the respect I have with him will remain forever, he knows that. Well, it is a final against a team who have been the best team in England so far.
"They're five points ahead of us and hopefully all of Manchester that day will be blue and can support us. We need incredible noise from the first minute to the end."
Despite disheartening draw to Southampton, Jamie Carragher believes that the title race is still in Arsenal's hands. In a column for the Daily Mail, the former Liverpool defender said: "It is still in Arsenal’s hands, and we keep saying it, and it just shows you how far ahead they were.
"They’ve dropped six points in the last three games, and it is still in their hands. They did have a really sizeable lead, but they are going to have to do something miraculous now between now and the end of the season.
"But we’ve seen them go on runs before, certainly on the back of losing to Man City at Emirates Stadium. That was a big disappointment, but they went on to win the next seven games."
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